BALTIMORE — For all the obvious reasons, Orioles Manager Brandon Hyde was smart to pass on Blue Jays Cy Young candidate Robbie Ray's invitation to come to the pitcher's mound as the two jawed at each other.
The shouting match between Ray and Hyde, seemingly over the left-hander’s slow work-rate on the mound, was just one of several bizarre aspects of a game that featured five errors and plenty of odd moments along the way.
It started simply, though. Cedric Mullins homered to begin the Orioles’ first inning and rookie Ryan McKenna followed it up quickly with a two-run home run. The Orioles had Ray on the ropes for more in the second when he and Hyde went at it, and then the Orioles’ bats went quiet.
All the while, right-hander Chris Ellis did well to keep down a Toronto lineup that just pounded its way to a four-game sweep of the New York Yankees and didn’t trail once in that series. Friday night’s loss ended an eight-game winning streak for the Blue Jays.
Ellis, the waiver claim from the Tampa Bay Rays who out of necessity slid right into the rotation for the Orioles, has looked like a shrewd pickup.
— Baltimore Sun
